The placement of specific goods and services within television and movie programs has become increasingly more popular. In fact, manufacturers often vie for the right to have their products featured in a television show or movie. For example, Ford® and BMW® may vie for the right to provide all the cars used by the main characters in a particular movie. Similarly, Coke® and Pepsi® may vie for the right to have their products shown exclusively on a television show. However, there are presently few means for a television or movie viewer to directly obtain the goods or services shown on such television and movie programs.
The entertainment magazine Entertainment Weekly has periodically included a section entitled “Where'd They Get That?” which informs viewers as where they can obtain certain items worn by characters in television and movies. A similar blog website also exists (http://wheredtheygetthat.blogspot.com) which provides information on specific clothing worn by celebrities both within television shows and movies, and in public. Another example is the website SeenOn (www.seenon.com) which provides members the opportunity to purchase specific products shown on television and movies.
The website BrandChannel (www.brandchannel.com) tracks how and when specific brands appear in television shows and movies. They have a specific sub-section of the site entitled “Brand Cameo” where the authors list specific brands and how many times each has appeared in a movie in a particular year.
The phenomena of brands appearing in televisions shows and movies is often referred to as product placement or embedded marketing, and it became popular in the 1980s (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Product_placement). The pervasiveness of brands in the entertainment industry has only increased since then, and now many companies seek out movie and television producers to have their products placed exclusively in a particular show or movie. For example, the film “The Matrix” used Cadillac® automobiles exclusively for all the major character vehicles, and the film “Transformers” used exclusively Chevrolet® vehicles. In a 2009 article, Business Week reported on the fifteen (15) television shows which had the highest number of product placements (http://images.businessweek.com/ss/09/04/0423_tv_product placements/1.htm). The list included reality shows like The Biggest Loser, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and American Idol, and fictional shows like One Tree Hill and The Office.
One perceived deficiency with the above-referenced websites and services is that they are limited in scope, and only include such goods and services that the business owners choose to show, or that the brand owners have pre-arranged to highlight. In the case of Entertainment Weekly's magazine, the publisher selects one specific item from four to five programs. With regard to the website SeenOn, they select specific items from specific programs (and in particular items from manufacturers with which they have established relationships). If the viewer has no interest in the programs selected by these services, or in the items selected, there are of little use. Further, although SeenOn apparently permits members to buy goods directly from their website, viewers referencing the Entertainment Weekly magazine feature would still need to seek out a website or store from which to purchase the goods.
There are issues with product placements as well. In that setting, the brand owner makes a well-known brand (e.g., Apple®, Chevrolet®, etc.) visible within a television show or movie, such that the buyer can easily identify the brand. However, the buyer may not be able to identify the specific product. The buyer may know, for example, that the main character was using an Apple® computer, but they don't know which one, or that the main character was wearing Ray-ban® sunglass, but not the specific model number. Showing brands excessively within a television show or movie (such that the buyer can recognize them) may also not be desirable in certain circumstances. For example, showing a close up of the brand of guitar a character is playing (just so the buyer can identify it) may detract from the story or visual impression desired by the director.
The present invention seeks to address the above-referenced problems through the creation of a centralized website which allows viewers the flexibility to search for television or movie programs, and select the specific goods and services shown in a particular scene.